


He has weighed your life and found it worth nothing

by spellbinder



Category: Transformers: Prime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2020-09-06 08:02:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20288128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellbinder/pseuds/spellbinder
Summary: This is going to be a short Whump! fic. I've seen alot of those involving the kids where they get saved, this is going to be one where they dont and the autobots deal with the consequences.





	1. The descent into hell is easy

Things began as they always had for Miko, Raf and Jack; they were chasing away some bullies that were bothering Raf. 

"Don't let them get to you Raf," Miko says as she hands Raf his, now cracked, glasses.

"I know. I wish they'd stop breaking them though. It's getting expensive for my parents," Raf sighs as he adjusts the now lopsided glasses

"Come on. The bots are probably waiting for us," Jack says, trying to cheer Raf up. He was always down for a bit when the bullies came. 

However, when they arrived the parking lot was empty of the familiar vehicles they always expected. 

"They're probably on a mission. I'll call Grumpy-bot," Miko says as she dials ratchet. 

"What?" Comes the answer over speaker.

"Hey Ratch, where are the bots? Schools over." Raf asks.

"They're indisposed right now. I cannot pick you up. Please make your own way home," Ratchet says before ending the call.

"Well looks like we are walking. My mom can drive you two home when she gets home," Jack says as he starts the walk. "Who feels like some shakes on our way?"

"Me!" Miko cheers and Raf follows suit..

They walk happily down the road but the second they leave school grounds, 4 large black truck surround them.

"Jack," Miko says.

"You two. Get behind me," jack shoves Raf behind him.

"Well well well, it looks like three little piggies wandered out to the market," a deep voice says

"Silas," Miko growls as the bald man reveals himself. 

"What do you want Silas?" Jack asks.

"I want information," silas says plainly. 

"As If scarface. We won't tell you anything," Miko growls 

"I'm well aware of that. So I'm not going to ask you. You're going to serve as my leverage," Silas says as he pulls a taser from his pocket. "No hard feelings."

"Jack!" Raf shouts as he sees the taser fire. But before he can warn Miko he feels a pinch on his side and his mind go black.

"Raf!"Miko exclaims before she and Jack go down as well.

"Take them. This will send a message to the Autobots," Silas orders. He did feel slightly bad about this. He had a wife and child. He may be a bad guy but hurting kids was low, even for him. He didn't intend to kill them, just rough them up enough to get what he wanted.

\---------------------------------------------------

"Ratchet. Bridge us back. The mission was a success," Optimus says after the last of the Decepticons flee and the area is secured.

"right away," ratchet says as the swirling green portal appears. 

"Did ya see those Cons fly away. Cowards," Wheeljack laughs at bulkhead.

The Autobots arrive back to base as they do every time there's a mission but there's a small difference. The base is silent. There is no pattering of excited feet, none of Miko blasting them with questions, no Raf playing video games until Bee was back.

"Hey Ratchet where are Jack and the others?" Arcee asks.

"They went home after school. I said you were busy," Ratchet says as he scans them for injuries. Thankfully they were minimal .

"We can hang out tomorrow. I'm beat," Bulkhead says as he sits on the floor.

Bee buzzes in confirmation of the statement. They were all exhausted. The battle took more out of them than expected. The kids could handle one day without them right?

\---------------------------------------------------

When Jack came to, he saw Raf and Miko tied to chairs with gags around their mouths. He tried to move and found himself in the same situation. He struggled to loosen the binding but found nothing would loosen the rough rope. Suddenly, a rough hand grasped his shoulder.

"That rope isn't coming off kid,' a voice says. 

Jack twists to see Silas standing behind him. All he can do is glare at the bald man.

"Look kid. I don't want to hurt or kill you. You are human and we are just trying to protect you from the aliens." Silas says, he was trying to be diplomatic about this.

"We don't need protecting from them," jack mumbles through his gag.

"That may be but what I want to prove to you is that they don't care about you. If they did they would have noticed you're missing." Silas says sympathetically, he decided to remove the boy's gag. 

Jack was shocked. They didn't notice? "What do you want?" Jack manages to say.

"As I said. I want information from the Autobots. You three will be leverage. I want to show the Autobots just how powerful we are. And I want to show you three the truth, that the Autobots don't care about you. That you are a means to an end. That they will abandon you for their own gain," Silas says.

"Liar!" Jack snarls. "Theyll come for us,"

"I'm sorry to say but you'll be disappointed," Silas says as he takes his leave. It was a shame these kids were loyal to those who would hurt them. 

\--------------------------

June had come home from a particularly long shift at the hospital. She had thought the house was a bit too quiet for a Friday night but she thought Jack was put with his friends. She went to her room and got ready for bed without worry. 

\-----------------------------------

Jack, Miko, and Raf sat in silent darkness for what felt like an eternity. After an eternity, three guards entered their room. 

"Let them go!" Jack struggles as two guards take Miko and Raf.

"Its time to have some fun kid," the guards rumbles before smashing his fist into Jack's cheek. 

Jack groans as his chair tips over and his face hits the floor.

"Optimus. Please hurry," Jack prays

\-----------------------------------

Miko was taken into a room with a tub. Her eyes instantly widened, she knew exactly what was going happen. She had seen enough movies.

Miko barely had time to scream after they ripped off the gag before they tied a towel around her head. She wriggled and squirmed as much as she could as the guards tied her wrists and ankles to the ends of the tub. 

"Relax kid, you're not going to die. We just want info from the aliens and you're going to get them to give it to us," a guard says in an attempt to console her.

This did not console her and she kept struggling. She heard the bucket is filled and she puffed out her cheeks to try and leave room to breathe.

Her body stiffened when the water hit her face. She fought the urge to inhale. She felt a blow to her stomach and she couldn't hold back. She tried to inhale and was greeted by water. 

"Please bulk. Save me," she prayed.

\-----------------------------------

Raf was absolutely terrified when he was taken into a cell alone with his guard. 

"Relax kid. You're not going to die, " the guard says and Raf takes no consolation from it. 

Raf is relieved when the guard removes his gag but is not prepared for the punch to the face that followed. He gags a bit on the blood that comes pouring from his nose.

"Nothing personal kid," the guard says as he punches Raf's stomach. 

"Bee. Please," raf pleads.

\-----------------------------------

Silas frowns as he watches his guards rough up the trio. He just needed to rough them up so the Autobots would comply. He took some 'comprising' photos and sent then to the Autobots as well as June Darby. The mother's pressure would definitely cause the Autobots to comply. All he wanted was a T-cog and the ability to use their technology. That would give them the edge they needed. 

"Please listen," Silas whispers as he sends the ransom

\-----------------------------------

(Next day)

June Darby woke up to a silent house. Something was wrong. The house was never this quiet. Jack didn't wake her up to say goodbye. 

"Jack!" She called as she wandered into the kitchen. 

When there was no response she went to the garage to see if Arcee was there. 

"Arcee?!" She opened the garage and was greeted by a single cardboard box in the middle of an empty garage.

All her urges told her to not approach but the fear of something happening to jack overrode it.

She approaches the box and opens it. Inside is a pile of pictures and a note. 

"No," she gasps as she sees the photos are of the kids being tortured. This couldn't be real, it cant be. She lost her husband, she would not lose her son too.

She looked at the note through tears and saw the demands.

She set her jaw and steeled herself. She was a nurse, she couldn't lose her nerve here. She could do this. She changed her clothes and got into her car. She was going to give the Autobots a piece of her mind. They would save her child. She would ensure it.

She called her boss and told her something happened to the jack. She understood completely. She called Fowler and told him about the situation. He was pissed he hadn't heard anything.

June sped through the empty roads and entered the Autobot base using the code Ratchet had given her. 

"Optimus! RATCHET! ARCEE!," she yelled. She didn't see anyone immediately which concerned her. 

"Hello!" She yelled into the hallway with the berths for recharge.

"Miss Darby?" Optimus' tired voice echoes as he emerges from a room. "What are you doing here?"

"Wake up everyone. NOW! You all have work to do," June shouts. Why were the sleeping and not looking for the kids!

"What is wrong? Where are Jack, Miko, and Rafael?" Optimus asks as he alerts the others. He was concerned that June was alone and she was this worried.

"They were kidnapped. And tortured and they want YOU!" June says. "Optimus. I don't care who you are and what you do. I lost my husband and I will NOT lose my son. I don't care if I'm human. If Jack dies, I will destroy you,"

"Understood," Optimus says. He understood her pain. To lose her only son, that was untold agony.

"June," Arcee says as he enters the hall with everyone else.

"Everyone. Go into the main room now. You are going to deal with a problem. NOW," June orders.

"What happened Optimus?" Ratchet asks. "June?"

"The kids got kidnapped. They're being used as leverage for you," June says as Ratchet goes to the computer and finds the message from Silas. 

The Autobots saw the photos and were instantly as mad as June. This was unacceptable. This should not have happened. 

"Let's see what Silas wants, " Ratchet says through gritted teeth.

"Hello Autobots. I'm sure you enjoyed the photos that I sent. It is a good way to start the weekend. You should honestly protect your little lambs. They were like the three little pigs going to the market. Or school in this case. Let's get to the point. I have the children and they will be delivered, alive, to you if you give us what we want. We want one t-cog and the blueprints and instructions for Decepticon technology. Send it to this location," a list of coordinates flash on the screen as Silas continues. "And they will be delivered safely. Send them to me at your leisure although the later you send it the less likely I'll guarantee their safety."

"That fucker," a voice says and they all turn to see Fowler enter the base. "You Autobots had better be on that shit. I can accept casualties in war but I will NOT accept those three dying."

"We will not fail Agent Fowler," Optimus says.

"So Optimus. Whose T-cog are we giving them?" Arcee asks. "I'll volunteer."

"No arcee I'll give mine. I barely use it," Ratchet says. 

The group dissolves into bickering at who will give their cog up, while Ultra Magnus asks about the information. 

"Enough," Optimus says as the group goes silent. "No one will give their cog. Because we will not comply with their demands, " 

The room was filled with raging silence.

"What?" June's question filled the silence. 

"I said we will not comply." Optimus says. He could not allow such secrets to fall into Silas' hands. It would be their downfall.

"But Optimus they will kill them!" Arcee says. Her thoughts were filled with Jack's face but it started to blur into her fallen comrades.

"We will save them. We can find their location and save them. But we cannot give them access to cybertronian weapons. It will spell doom for everyone," Optimus says. This was the thing he dreaded the most, to make a bet on who lived and who died. 

"Optimus. This was sent yesterday. We already are at a disadvantage," June says. "He took then from school yesterday. We already lost the day,"

Ratchet felt his Energon freeze. Silas took them from school? This would have never happened on a normal day. But no one had been there for them.

"Come to think of it. Didn't you pick them up?" June asks.

The trio's guardian are silent. 

"No. They were on a mission. They called me and I told them to go home because we were indisposed," Ratchet says. It hurt him, even if he didn't show it, he cared about them. "So if you want to blame someone. Blame me,"

"Trust me. If they die, I will blame all of you," June snarls as she stalks back to her car. 

"Where are you going to June?" Arcee calls.

"To find my son." June says as she grabs Fowler's arm. "And you are going to help me,"

"Right," Fowler says. He thought of those kids as his own and he would not fail them.

The Autobots watched in shock as the two remaining humans left.

"Optimus you can't be serious," bulkhead says. 

"I am. This is the only way," he replies. His heart was cracking but he had to do this for both his allies and all humans.

"I'm already tracking Silas but it may take a while. And no guarantees." Ratchet says as he furiously tries to track Silas. Unfortunately, his lack of finesse at human technology slowed him down, normally Rafael would assist him. 

"I don't get it. Why are we playing safe?" Smokescreen asks.

"If the human get access to cybertronian tech it could destroy the planet," Arcee says.

"But the kids........" smokescreen says. 

"We will save them." Optimus says.

"Bee?" Wheeljack calls to the silent scout. 

Bumblebee was trembling. He couldn't lose Raf. Or jack. Or Miko. If they died. He didn't know what he would do. They were the first people to accept him for who he was and not a broken soldier. If they died.....Optimus would pay.

\-----------------------------------

"Sir. No signs of Autobot contact. Should we apply more pressure?" A soldier asks Silas.

Silas thinks on this. It had been a day, the Autobots should have received the ransom yesterday. He had expected something. Anything. A refusal at the least. but he had to push on, he needed that information. 

"Yes. But remember no killing or deathly injuries," Silas warns. 

"Yessir," the soldier salutes and departs. He grinned at the thought of what he would do..

\-----------------------------------

Jack's face was a mess of black and blue and his left eye was swollen shut. The beating has been bad but not like the bullies he fought. It was tolerable. He was tied down to a stretcher so he was uncomfortable but hopefully, he would be home soon. He had no doubt that his mom and Autobots were fighting their way to him. They had to be.

The door opened and a man in a white coat followed by four soldiers entered.

"Young man. You're going into surgery," the man in the coat said with a sad smile.

"What?" Jack asked in horror. Were they going to dissect him? Or take a limb as a warning. He was beyond terrified but it scared him more if Miko or Raf went under the knife. "Don't hurt the others,"

"If you comply then we won't," the man says. The man was completely honest. He may be a doctor with questionable morals but cutting apart kids was a line he wouldn't cross. And he wasn't lying. The injuries he had taken, his eye would most likely lead to blindness and maybe infection. It was better for them to remove it.

Jack simply nodded. He didn't know if the man was lying but he had to do what was best for the others.

The guards took the stretcher that was under the jack and carried him to an all-white room. The doctor inserted a needle into Jack's arm and he went slack.

The doctor sighed and regretfully got ready for surgery.

\-----------------------------------

Miko was still coughing after the waterboarding. Her lungs burned all night. Even now her chest felt full and heavy. She was curled into a ball and crying out for her parents in Japanese. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of understanding her lamentation. 

She was instantly up when the doors open and the guards entered. 

"What do you want? Another waterboard? I can take it," Miko taunted. 

The guard's response was for two of them to hold her down while one straddled her body but he was facing her legs.

"What are you doing?! Get away from me!" she struggled like never before. 

The guard simply grabbed her shin and jerked upward, cleanly breaking her leg.

Miko's screams echoed through the compound. Even Raf could hear it, he crawled to a corner and covered his ears he didn't want to hear this. 

When all was said and done, the guards splint her legs. 

"It was a clean break. It'll be alright in a few months. Just don't try to move it," a guard says as he throws her a bottle of water and a container of Tylenol and sleeping pills.

Miko was crying and reached for them through the tears. She needed relief and in that pain she realized something. The Autobots weren't coming. If they were pushing them to the brink of death then the Autobots weren't giving in. They were going to die here.

\-----------------------------------

Raf had heard Miko's screams and tried his hardest to block them out. This was too much. He didn't want to be tortured. His right arm was tied to a chain and he had accidentally dislocated it trying to get out. He knew he might get some serious injuries if it stayed that way so he tried to relocate it. He didn't know if he did it right because his arm was still numb and tingling. He didn't know what to do.

\-----------------------------------

The Autobots days had been spent waiting for the ratchet to find something while the others let off their frustration driving through the desert. All of then felt incredible guilt and powerlessness. It was already Sunday. Silas had the kids for two days and they didn't know if they were okay. That was until ratchet received some disturbing pictures of the children being tortured.

"SILAS IS A MONSTER, " arcee screams. She had almost vomited Energon when she watched the video of a doctor excising Jack's eye from his black and blue face. 

"Optimus. We have to do something," bulkhead says. "They'll die,"

"No. Ratchet is close. Though you have my word that if we don't find them by the morning then we will comply," Optimus relents. Inside, however, he was raging. Torturing and maiming children was evil but he had to do what was best for everyone. Even if it meant some would get hurt.

"Optimus." Arcee says quietly. "If jack dies, I won't forgive you,"

\-----------------------------------

In the darkness of Jack's mind, it replayed the moment he first feared Megatron. Megatron had said something that Jack blew off but resonated in his mind.

"You mean nothing to him. He has weighed your life against the lives on Cybertron and he found it worth nothing," Megatron said.

Jack had rejected this. The Autobots would never abandon them. But now, at this moment, he realized they were abandoned. They were being brought to the brink of death.

"Mom. I'm sorry, " he says. He felt terrible that his mom would be alone. Did she even know he was gone?

\-----------------------------------

Silas was absolutely fed up with the Autobots. It had been three days. THREE. And they gave him nothing. The children were on the brink of death and he would not continue. The window to achieve victory through alien technology was over. They had to keep moving. 

He made arrangements for the kids to 'escape' and they would hopefully make it back in one piece. They would escape near a small town where they could make it back to Jasper. He also sent a letter to June Darby Apologizing for this. This was not how it was supposed to go. 

He sighed and pinched his nose. "Make it back safely kiddos. And don't ever look back at those aliens," he prays as he begins the protocol for transfer.

\-----------------------------------

When the kids came to they were alone but they were together. There was a pile of pills, crutches, food, and water lying in the middle. 

"Miko.....Raf," Jack groans. "You guys alright?"

"Jack. Your eye," Miko gasps.

"I know.." Jack sighs. "Raf,"

"I'm okay," RAF sighs. "What now?"

"We have to get out. The bots........they abandoned us. We are on our own. If not.....if not we are going to die. " Miko says tearfully. 

"They wouldn't......" RAF defends

"Miko is right. We can't rely on them. We have to get out of here." Jack says stiffly. "What do we have to use?"

"Looks like they gave us supplies and food. I wonder why," Raf says. "What about an escape route? The guards didn't come yet,"

"Stay with Miko and try to get everything together so I can carry it," Jack says. "I'm going to see if I can get us out,"

"You can't carry all of this alone!" Raf says.

"I'll have to. Because you need to help Miko," Jack says as he walks to the cell door.

"What do you mean help....." RAF looks at Miko and sees her legs in splints. They broke her legs.

Raf sets his jaw and tries to get everything he can into his pockets and makes a makeshift bag out of his sweater.

While Miko watched, Jack went to the door to see if he could pry it open. Or maybe unscrew it. But when he got there he found the deadbolt hadn't been pushed all the way in and was ajar.

"What the fuck," jack whispers as the door pushes open easily.

"Jack you did it!" Miko shouts as she sees the path to freedom.

"Yeah. Come on. We're going home," Jack says as he returns to grab the bag Raf made.

Raf helps Miko up on her crutches as they walk out the door. They find themselves in a single long hallway. 

"Where do we go?" Miko asks.

"I don't know. We have to pick a direction," Jack says. "But our best bet is up,"

"What if the elevators are a trap?" Raf asks as he thinks about horror movie traps.

"You could be right. I'll carry Miko," jack says.

"No. You cant strain yourself with your eye. You could bleed out," Raf says. 

"Guys. We don't need to go up. Look," Miko says as she points into a room. 

They see where she points and it's not a room at all. It's an airplane hangar. Hangars were usually on the top floor.

"There's the door," Miko says as she points to the end of the room. 

"Hurry," jack whispers as they hobble across the hangar to the door. They open the door and they shut their eyes as the room floods with light. 

When their eyes adjust the find it isn't sunlight at all. It was starlight. They had been in the dark so long even low light was bright to them.

"We need to find a road," Miko says as she takes some pain pills. 

"I wish we had our phones. We could call my mom," Jack says. 

"yeah." Miko says sadly. She was pissed she lost all her music and photos.

After some time of walking they find a small highway and decide a direction to travel. When the sun crests the horizon they hear something. It sounded like a rock band.

"That's my ringtone!" Miko shouts as she looks to see where it's coming from. They look down and see it's coming from her pocket.

"Silas actually gave us back our phones?" Raf asks jack.

"I don't know why but at least we know we can call for help." Jack says as he looks at the new day start. He pulls out his phone and calls his mom. She was not going to be happy.


	2. If you look for the darkness it is all you will ever see

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids save themselves

"Mom?" Jack asks into the phone.

"Jack? Jack!" June cries in disbelief. "Oh my god. Sweetie are you okay? Where are you?"

"I dont know. We are somewhere in the desert and we're in bad shape." Jack says wearily. "We need help."

"I'll tell Fowler. I'll meet you at the hospital," june shouts as she hangs up. 

"We've got reinforcements coming in," jack says to the others. 

"Good. Because I'm not feeling too hot," miko says as she sways slightly. 

"Jack. I think miko might be bleeding out. I've read that breaking a leg can cause you to bleed out internally." Raf says.

"Ok. My mom and Fowler are on the way," jack says levelly. He types 9-1-1 into his phone. They were running out of time.

"911 please state the nature of your emergency, " came the reply.

"Please send help. We were kidnapped and we are somewhere in the desert," jack says.

"Ok. Are you injured? Can you tell me where you are? How many are there of you?" The voice asks.

"We have three. One with two broken legs. One with a dislocated arm. And I.........i am missing an eye," jack stutters at the last part.

"Please stay on the line. Help is on the way. Can you describe your location to us?" The operator says.

"We are on a road. There are no signs but there are mile markers. We are in the desert," jack says.

"Ok. Can you tell me the mile marker closest to you?" They ask and jack replies.

"Help is en route to your location. Please keep talking until help arrive," the operator says gently. "Do you remember how you got there?"

"We were coming home from school. And these black cars pulled up. And someone got out and shot tasers at us. They had us hostage. Then they knocked us out and left us in the middle of the desert." Jack says as he racks his brain. 

"We are going to help you okay. Where do you live?" The operator asks.

"Jasper, Nevada." Jack says.

"Ok. You all are close. This is the Jasper police department, " the operator says. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Jack Darby," jack says.

The operator is silent. "Are the two with you Miko Nakadai and Rafael Esquivel?"

"Yes. Why?" Jack asks suspiciously.

"Your mother June reported you missing. She must be worried," the operator says.

Jack is silent and he sees police siren light on the road.

"I see police lights," Jack says.

"I can confirm that this Is dispatch. They'll take care of you," the operator says.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," jack says as his vision blurs a bit and the phone slips from his hands.

"Jack!" Raf shouts as Jack hits the floor.. "Miko. Help me,"

But when Raf looks back Miko is also on the floor. 

"Young man. Are you alright?" A police officer asks when they pull up to the children. 

"Yes. But please, my friends are really hurt!" Raf pleads.

"Don't worry. We have all the help we can get. They'll be okay," the police officer grins as the ambulance arrives.

Raf is instantly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people but eventually he recognized agent Fowler. 

"Agent Fowler," raf sighs in relief.

"Rafael! What happened to you?!" Fowler asks.

"Silas captured us. We.........i don't..........remember too well." Raf says as he temple starts to throb.

"Hey hey hey, don't sweat it. You guys are safe and that's what matters." Fowler says gently.

"no. no we aren't safe. Silas found us. He knows where we live. We aren't safe. They took......they took Jack's eye. And Miko's leg. And my.....my arm," Raf pulls at his limp arm. He felt scared. More scared than when they faced the decepticons. "You have to help them! They're really hurt and they may not make it!"

"Don't worry Rafael. They'll be rushed to the hospital. June is already there and i have arranged for government assistance to keep this under wraps." Fowler says as he waves over an EMT to look at Raf's arm.

"Agent Fowler?" Raf asks meekly as the EMT puts a sling on his arm

"Yeah kid?" Fowler asks. He had never seen Raf so scared.

"Don't tell the Autobots." Raf whispers.

"Why? Didn't they save you? Isn't that how you guys escaped?" Fowler asks in confusion.

"No. They left us behind. We escaped because.......because they let us go. I think that's why. We woke up and there was no one there. We had our phones back and they left us food and medicine. They let us go because the autobots didn't come," Raf says in defeat. When he looked at the facts the answer was obvious.

Fowler ground his teeth behind his indifferent face. This was evil! Torturing kids was one thing, that was Silas after all. But letting the kids be in that situation is unforgivable. He would have a strong word with the autobots. "You have my word Rafael. For now, go to the hospital and get better. You'll be back home in no time."

"Did my mom call?" Raf asks.

Fowler hesitates. He wants to lie but thinks Raf deserves better. "No. She didn't even know you were gone. June was the one who filed you missing." Fowler sighs.

Raf smiles sadly. "I figured as much. Thanks for not lying," Raf says as he goes with the EMT.

Fowler watched as the EMTs loaded the three kids into ambulances and drove off into the desert. It left Fowler all alone in the sand. He clenched his hands so hard they start to bleed. He felt sick, this shouldn't have happened. Soldiers being tortured and dying for their country was one thing. The kids were something completely different, they were civilians and young ones at that.

"Optimus you son of a bitch. How could you?" Fowler curses at the sky. He would never forgive him for this. 

\-----------------------------------------##

"Optimus," ratchet says evenly. 

"Yes ratchet, " optimus says. It had been a surprisingly quiet day from the decepticons .

"Silas. I've lost his position all together. He.....they're gone. I've also tried to track the kids' phones. Silas must have destroyed them," Ratchet says. He hoped this would spur Optimus into action.

"Very well. Let us go and find the children," Optimus says and Ratchet's spark leaps inside. Finally. "Tell the others,"

"Already done," Ratchet says as he fires up the groundbridge. The others showed up almost instantly, ready to fight.

"Optimus. If the kids are dead. We will never forgive you," Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee think.

When the autobots emerge from the groundbridge, all they see is Agent Fowler standing alone in the dust.

"Agent Fowler," Optimus announces. "What are you doing here?"

Fowler turns face the giants. He was about to tell them they found the kids but a small, dark piece of him rebelled. He wanted them to suffer. He wanted them to know the pain the kids, June and he had felt. He knew what to he had to do. He had to protect those kids,

"They're gone Optimus. I've received word that we are to pronounce them dead Optimus. We lost, They're gone forever," Fowler says harshly. He revels slightly at the silence that cuts through the desert.

"No. That's impossible." Bulkhead says.

"Far from it. As you all have stated before, we are soft squishy beings. Did your really expect anything less?" Fowler asks. He would still do his duty to the autobots and ensure their safety but he would no longer be their friend. They lost that when they lost the kids.

"So Miko, Jack and Rafael are dead?" Ratchet asks.

"They may as well be. They disappeared without a trace. There is a guarantee Silas won't allow us to find them," Fowler says. "So you all wasted your time coming here."

"Ratchet. Get us back to base, we are going to find them," Arcee says.

"Optimus, let me make one thing clear to you. In my eyes, you murdered those kids. I will still do my job and protect you because i am a man of honor but i will never forgive you for this," Fowler says as he turns to leave.

"I accept this," Optimus says. "but i will find them,"

"I highly doubt that Optimus. I'll make sure of it," Fowler whispers as he gets in his car and drives away.

Now it is Optimus who is left standing alone.

"Optimus. how do we find them?" Arcee says blankly.

"if they did manage to use cybertronian technology then Ratchet can scan for an new cybertronian activity and that will lead us to Silas," Optimus says.

"That's a pretty big 'if' Optimus," Arcee says harshly.

"That's the only reason i would think that they would move on is if they got exactly what they wanted." Optimus reasons.

Unfortunately, Arcee could not deny that this was very likely.

"We should go Optimus. We are out in the open," Ultra Magnus says.

"Ratchet. We need the groundbridge. Now," Optimus says.

"One moment," Ratchet replies and the swirling green portal appears before them.

"Optimus. What have we done?" Ratchet privately asks Optimus over the comm system.

"I believe i have done something terrible Ratchet. Something i will regret forever. May Primus forgive me." Optimus says stoically.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Raf!" June shouts as she sees the ambulance pull into the emergency department. Fowler had given her a heads-up and said they were on their way.

"Miss Darby," Raf cries as she hugs him tightly.

"What happened? What did he do to you?" June cries.

"Silas. He kidnapped us. He tortured us individually. But they left us together in the end, Miko has broken legs, i had a dislocated arm and Jack.........Jack lost his eye." Raf says quietly.

"What?" June grinds out. Raf looked in fear as June's face turned dark as night. "How could he do this to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Raf asks in terror.

"I will never forgive him for this." June grinds out. She had received another box shortly before she got the call from Jack. It was a simple note "I'm so sorry". She assumed it was from Silas but she couldn't comprehend why he would apologize and now she finally got it. 

"Miss June?" Raf whimpers as June walks past Raf and prowls up to where Miko and Jack are being unloaded from the ambulance.

"Get away from my son," June whispers harshly.

"June. I know you're angry right now, but let us at least stabilize him," one of the EMTs says, desperately trying to placate the woman.

"I will NOT stand by while my son lies there on death's door!" June shouts. 

"June." A voice says as a hand lies on her shoulder.

June whirls around to see Fowler standing there.

"Fowler. Tell them to let me see Jack!" June shouts.

"June. There is something i need to discuss with you," FOwler says.

"What could be so important that i can't be with my son right now!" June screams.

"June. They were abandoned. They escaped because Silas let them go. The autobots gave them no slack. They let them go because they got nothing from Optimus." Fowler continues.

June is left speechless. "I'll kill him. I will make him pay," She snarls. "He swore to protect the kids. He betrayed them,"

"I agree. But for now, they won't be looking for them. I told them the kids are dead. If you want i can arrange for you all to be moved somewhere safer." Fowler says.

"No. The kids went through hell, they need something familiar. I'll keep them home and inside for a few days. They will never see those machines again," June says harshly.

"I'll leave a few agents near you guys in case Silas comes back," Fowler says.

"That won't be necessary. He won't come back. If you do it'll let the autobots know there is something worth protecting. We need to continue like nothing happened," June says calmly after a deep breath.

"I'll make sure the kids have therapy provided, mental and physical. " Fowler says as he lets June go to Jack.

"Thank you Fowler. Honestly," June says as she walks to where Jack and the others lie.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How are they Doctor Li?" June asks the ER doctor.

"I've gotta say June. They are 100% better than what i expected. The broken leg on Miss Nakadai is set with no complications, no surgery needed. Mister Esquivel's arm was set correctly, although there was moderate nerve damage, so for now he has limited usage of his arm but with Physical therapy it can be resolved. As for jack........aside from the missing eye. Nothing is particularly wrong, There is no infection and it appears whoever performed the job was excellent. It is clean and intact, this was a professional job. He will just have to adapt to the narrowed field of vision." Doctor Li says clinically.

"How are they mentally though?" June asks.

"That's the tricky part. Rafael is still in shock. Jack is still unconscious. Miko is going through denial. She is angry, understandably and throwing things." Doctor Li says with a small chuckle. "All healthy reactions,"

"When can i take them home?" June asks.

"Tomorrow morning, assuming Jack wakes up from the anesthesia. I just want to keep an eye on them overnight," Doctor Li says. 

"Thank you Doctor," June sighs.

"June. We've been friends for a while." Doctor Li begins. "I'm a mom too so i know you love Jack more than life itself. But where is this anger coming from? You weren't even this angry when your ex left you. What aren't you telling us?"

"This is different Amber. I lost my husband but i had Jack. If i lose Jack i have no one left." June says. and she hated the fact knowing that her son was abandoned by those who swore to protect him.

"Well he's going to live June, i can promise you that. Just don't lose yourself in the anger June," Amber sighs as she pulls June into a hug.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June spent the night in Jack's room. She hated seeing her son lie so still and silent.

"June?" Avoice whispered. June turned to see Miko peeking her head through the door.

"Come on in Miko." June says as she pulls up a chair.

"Hows jack? " she asks.

"He hasn't woken up yet." June says as her strokes Jack's forehead.

"He will. He'll wake up and we can all go home. We can get burgers and watch a movie." Miko says as she starts to tear up. She says the words like a mantra. Like if she said it enough times it would be true.

"Miko." June says. "When all this is over. You should go. It isn't safe for you here." June would keep them safe. Even if she had to send them a world away.

Miko was silent. "Cant i......stay with you instead. Jack....and raf. And you too. You guys are the family I always wanted.lets al leave together." She suggest softly. 

June smiles. "Sure. Let's do that. When everyone is ready," she says and in the dark part of her mind she feels a dark sense of satisfaction reel its heads and laugh at the autobots.


End file.
